Strengthening. (3)

"Somewhere close by." Nura said with a shrug before picking up the barbell which had been set to close to maximum weight with one hand. "Not bad."

"Chief, you called me as I was knee deep in a workout. I have yet to even shower, so I would like to shower and get changed. Before I do, can I offer you something to drink?"

"No no, I'm good." The Chief said with a dismissive wave. "Go ahead and shower – I'll be here."

Relovan was somewhat irked by how Nura was clearly avoiding answering questions relating to how close he was when he called, however he just let it go and took a shower. Due to the fact that there was no longer any pain shooting through his body when he moved, Relovan was able to shower and get changed relatively quickly. When he rejoined the Chief, he found the massive man standing in front of the bookshelf, perusing his library. He also noticed that the food had been served in the kitchen, and that there were various kinds of liquor set as well.

"When did all this happen?" Relovan asked.

"While you were in the shower. Anyway, colour me impressed, Lawman. The sheer volume of Constitutions in this library of yours is nothing short of phenomenal."

"It makes things easier to be as intimately acquainted with as many Laws of as many territories within the Coalition's borders, as well as beyond said borders."

"Easier to do what, exactly?" The Chief asked as he looked at Relovan.

"To enforce the law." Relovan answered as he took a deep breath. "Forgive me for being direct, but I doubt that you came here to look at my books, Chief."

"No, I didn't, Lawman – I actually came here to discuss your future, and just how 'long term' you wish for that future to be."

Chief Nura said this as he turned around and looked at Relovan, gesturing for him to take a seat before sitting down on a chair that the Enforcer had never seen before. Once both men were seated, the Chief began to speak without any warning.

"So let us discuss the immediate future first, Lawman. Considering how well versed you are with Coalition Laws, I'm sure you already know that there will be a Council Hearing in which they will decide what the repercussions the Void Lords will face will be. I'm sure you have also guessed that both you and I will be summonsed to appear at the Hearing, although it won't just be as responding Officers."

"I assume we will also be summoned to appear as Witnesses." Relovan said in a rather deadpan sounding voice as he crossed one leg over the other.

This caught Nura somewhat off guard, however he just nodded and continued speaking.

"That's right, Lawman. This means that until you have attended the Hearing to present your version of things, you are essentially untouchable."

"Untouchable? How do you mean, Sir?"

"Quite simply, you have drawn the ire of Vox. Even if you were unsuccessful in your attempt to subdue him through force, you still tried to do it. Not only that, it seems as though Void Lord Juxtae is somewhat receptive towards you, and for some reason, anybody she's partial towards even slightly ends up having to watch their backs."

"Hmph." Relovan snorted with a hint of annoyance. "I couldn't care less about that man's ire. He broke the law, and if I am required to elaborate further in front of the Council, I will. Void Lord Juxtae isn't exempt from this either."

"That segues wonderfully to my next point – the reason why you are safe while waiting for the Hearing to take place is because Council Agents know as Marshals have been dispatched to keep an eye not only Vox, but on Juxtae as well." Nura said with a slight grin.

"To what end?"

"To ensure that the Void Lords neither try to take you out, nor attempt get on your good side and convince you to abstain from honouring the summons. Think of it as surveillance from both the Council, as well as the Emperor to ensure that the situation doesn't become worse."

Relovan looked at Chief Nura in silence, before suddenly looking as though he realised something. The look on his face didn't last all that long, and his expression went back to being neutral.

"So if I were to guess, what you're saying is that I am essentially safe until I give my testimony, and then chances are, the Void Lord is going to come after me?"

"Something like that." Nura said with a bit of a smirk. "You might be wondering if Vox would really come after you for something so superficial, but trust me, he has obliterated scores of people for far less. The sense of entitlement he feels due to his status is almost unbelievable."

"Being a Void Lord does make one virtually invulnerable after all." Relovan answered with a shrug. "That said, the laws used to keep Void Lords under a certain level of control being broken can lead to extremely severe consequences."

"This is true, however there has to be a reason strong enough to compel the Council to pursue those consequences."

"And I assume you're saying that my death would not be a compelling enough catalyst to set any form of repercussion into action?"

"Unfortunately not, Lawman; you are just too weak – both socially and physically." Nura answered looking entirely too serious. "The way things currently are, Vox could wait until the Hearings are over with, and then destroy you without having to worry about facing any real consequences. This is honestly the reason why I'm here, Lawman – because I have a solution for you."

"A solution?"

"That's right – a way to strengthen you."

"In what way, Sir? Physically or socially?" Relovan asked.

"Both." Nura said with a grin on his face. "To be completely honest, you are already terribly impressive, Lawman. Having seen the surveillance footage of you dealing with the Knights, it is plain to see that you are a cut above. There is a term banded about amongst Humans called Superhuman, and I have absolutely no doubt that your capabilities are of such a level. Your physical prowess, ability to sense danger and adjust in the heat of the moment, your willpower and composure, all of these have surpassed those of the Human race. You are a well and truly a Superhuman, Lawman."

"…but?" Relovan asked as he inhaled deeply.

"But this assessment is only impressive when compared against other Humans. While I doubt there are many Humans who could use your gym equipment at the same weight as you, there are countless Non-Human races that can, with relative ease as well. You are fast approaching the limits of the physical strength you can squeeze out from that body of yours. Don't despair though, as I have a plan to increase your strength exponentially!"

"Exponentially you say?" Relovan asked, sounding about as suspicious as a person could.

"That's right." The Chief replied with a series of nods. "The biggest problem you face right now Lawman, is that you're squishy – too squishy. For the level of threat you face here on Blargon, your strength is more than adequate. But whether you like it or not, you have just been pulled into a world where at your current level of strength, if you got caught by the wrong being on the wrong day, you could be killed by a sneeze."

Relovan looked at Chief Nura with a brief, yet intense glare. This was met with rapturous laughter from Nura.

"Yes, that's it Lawman! That statement irked you so much you dared to glare at me, your superior in rank and strength. I like that. Listen, if you want to have a hope of surviving long enough to obtain the strength to defend yourself, we first have to do something about your ability to take hits."

"Taking hits? You want me to take hits, Sir?"

"Actually, that's the last thing I want – but you are not quite quick enough to avoid attacks of a certain level, so we are going to have to push your Human capabilities to their absolute limits and beyond."

"To what end, Sir?" Relovan simply asked.

"Honestly? We need to get your body to the point where at the very least, I'm confident you won't be destroyed before we even set things in motion. I'm still hammering out the finer details of the plan, but I'm confident in having it done by tomorrow. That said, there's something I am curious about, Lawman."

"My physical condition?"

The Chief answered with the simplest and slowest of nods, before reaching for a drink.

"To put it simply Chief, I was healed by Void Lord Juxtae or her Walker – I can't be sure. I only remember losing consciousness in her chambers before waking up in my own bed, practically naked."